Bvlgari Taps Into China’s Thirst For Art

The Social Edition is our weekly series which deep dives into luxury initiatives in China’s social media landscape. Every week, we highlight brand campaigns distributed on Chinese digital platforms — WeChat, Weibo, Tmall, Douyin, and beyond. Our coverage spotlights global luxury brands, global beauty brands, and local Chinese brands. The latter gives insight into some of China’s most successful campaigns, which often come from local players, and are outside of the beauty and fashion space. In this week’s roundup, we look at three campaigns, including the opening of Bvlgari's touring exhibition, Chinese fashion retailer I.T and beauty brand Florasis' celebration of Mother's Day. Bvlgari Taps Into China’s Thirst For Art BRAND Bvlgari CATEGORY Luxury Jewelry PLATFORMS WeChat, Weibo, Little Red Book MEDIUM Image, Pop-up Exhibition, Short-Video, Mini Program FEATURED TALENTS Shu Qi (41M Weibo Followers) | Zhong Chuxi (7M) | Leo Wu (43M) | Fan Chengcheng (25M) | Zhang Jiani (10M) | Li Manxuan (411K) OVERVIEW On May 10, Italian jewelry house Bvlgari unveiled a touring exhibition named “Magnifica Roma” in Columbia Circle, Shanghai, which is open to the public from May 11 to 24. The show focuses on Rome — a city the brand has continuously drawn inspiration from across its 130-year history. With its immersive digital visiting experiences, the exhibition recreates Rome's splendor and glory. Kolia Neveux, president of Bvlgari Greater China; Chen Qi, consul general of Italy in Shanghai; Bvlgari brand spokespersons Shu Qi, Zhong Chuxi, and Leo Wu; and brand ambassador Fan Chengcheng, actors Zhang Jiani, and Li Manxuan attended the opening event. NETIZEN REACTION The campaign hashtag, #意犹未尽宝格丽, received over 60 million views on Weibo over two days. The social traffic of the campaign has been driven by posts from celebrities and KOLs sharing their preview experiences from the exhibition. Meanwhile, a 15-second short video starring the brand's China ambassador, Leo Wu, has garnered 414,000 views and 10,500 comments on Weibo. His endorsement resonates well with young locals who are involved in fan culture. VERDICT Tapping into art is nothing novel for luxury houses. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Valentino have all launched art exhibitions in China to showcase their brand heritage. This approach helps brands to communicate their brand values and improve brand equity among local consumers. In Bvlgari’s case, the brand not only leveraged an extensive range of celebrity endorsements but also blended technology and art to create novel experiences. Both strategies can elevate visitor engagement, allowing the exhibition to reach a broader audience. Chinese Fashion Retailer I.T Explores Motherhood On Weibo BRAND I.T CATEGORY Luxury Fashion PLATFORMS Weibo MEDIUM Image, Short-Video FEATURED TALENTS @superRenee (703K Weibo Followers) | Shi Lu Nei Zi (329K) | Si Tan Lu (237K) OVERVIEW Hong Kong fashion retailer I.T launched a campaign named “I.T SHE’S POWER” to celebrate Mother’s Day on May 9. The brand collaborated with three influencers — fashion designer @superRenee, KOL Shi Lu Nei Zi (@拾陆内子), and vlogger Si Tan Lu (@斯坦鹿_) — and featured conversations with their mothers or daughters to explore diverse versions of motherhood. The campaign video documents the three pairs of mothers and daughters describing a mother's love, how to navigate motherly identities, and what you wouldn't say to each other within these relationships. NETIZEN REACTION The three-minute campaign video and hashtag #I.TSHE’SPOWER received 9,000 and 270,000 views on Weibo, respectively. Though the traffic of the campaign posts on I.T’s Weibo account has been moderate, the social content posted by its featured talents did garner organic engagement. Netizens showed their adoration of the interactions between mothers and daughters — as well as their outfits. VERDICT I.T’s Mother’s Day initiative broke through the stereotypical definition of motherhood by opening up dialogues with influencers. Instead of simply showing gratitude to mothers through a typical Mother’s Day campaign, the retailer opted to explore the social roles of contemporary mothers and daughters, enhancing the relatability for female consumers of various ages. Florasis Celebrates Women Empowerment On Mother’s Day BRAND Florasis (Huaxizi) CATEGORY Beauty PLATFORMS WeChat, Weibo MEDIUM Image, Short-VideoVideo OVERVIEW This Mother’s Day, C-beauty brand Florasis launched a public-service campaign called the Florasis Bloom Project. Inspired by how women must deal with multiple pressures due to their complicated social roles, the company dedicated the initiative to women’s mental health. The brand collaborated with local charity organization Dishui Charity to open a hotline that offers free psychiatric consulting to women. NETIZEN REACTION The initiative received positive feedback from netizens, and their comments prove that the brand is not just considered a top beauty sector player but also a leader in corporate responsibility. The three-minute campaign video, which garnered over 186,000 views on Weibo, explained how the hotline service works and why it can help women get through mental dilemmas. VERDICT China's new generation of consumers has a growing awareness of social responsibility in their brands, driven by self-education and brand transparency. While many brands have turned holiday celebrations into occasions for promoting consumerism, Florasis flip-flopped the usual Mother’s Day narrative by putting female empowerment into action. Despite the absence of product exposure, this approach seems to be more promising than promotional campaigns over the long term.

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Bvlgari Taps Into China’s Thirst For Art